My Television Disappointments of 2013

There were lots of bad television shows in 2013, as there are ever year, but the truly hopeless ones didn't hang around long enough to bother me. Or I managed to avoid the absolute worst of the worst thanks to good judgement. So this list is more about disappointment, not abject terribleness... although, sure, many of my choices are terrible shows, too. Below are the 10 shows that let me down, tricked me into expecting greatness, or were simply made by people who can do better. And in the interest of fairness, I watched either all or the majority of their seasons/series this year—but if you want to defend anything on the list because it got better at some point, be my guest...

ATLANTIS, 1.5 – 'White Lies'

This isn't a review, per se, because I didn't make it through "White Lies" without fast-forwarding the last twenty-minutes. It was monumentally dull and Atlantis is still showing no signs of answering the bigger questions in my head. Is Mark Addy playing the Hercules of legend, whose father was Zeus? If not, does he, or did he, have amazing strength at any point? If not, why the hell have they included a character called Hercules and set up pointless expectations? Is Pythagoras ever going to do anything worthwhile? Is he as intelligent as his real-life inspiration? If so, can we see that demonstrated, please? And why have they avoided exploiting the inherent fun of Jason being a time-traveller from thousands of years in the future? It's beginning to feel like the show's first scene, with Jason sucked through an underwater 'time-hole' didn't actually happen. And is this the Jason of legend, who will lead the Argonauts on a quest for the Golden Fleece one day? Even that's not clear, although I suspect so. Does he expect so?

ATLANTIS, 1.4 – 'Twist of Fate'

written by Richard McBrien | directed by Alice Troughton

This was the worst episode yet, which isn't surprising. A lot of new shows tend to bury the weak hours mid-series. More worryingly, after a month on-air it's clear Atlantis is a creative misfire for a number of reasons, which I'll outline below:

ATLANTIS, 1.3 – 'A Boy of No Consequence'

written by Howard Overman | directed by Justin Molotnikov

It's week three and Jason's (Jack Donnelly) still a tedious drip, Pythagoras (Robert Emms) shows no sign of any personality, and Hercules (Mark Addy) continues to be the only person on the show with a pulse. At least they've made an effort to add some femininity to this curiously male-oriented show, by turning Medusa (Jemima Rooper) into a version of Gwen from Merlin. There's also a new villain in Heptarian (Oliver Walker), bad boy nephew of Queen Pasiphae (Sarah Parish) and suitor of Ariadne (Aiysha Hart), who makes a mortal enemy of Jason over an old man's broken cart. It's that kind of show.

ATLANTIS, 1.2 – 'A Girl By Any Other Name'

written by Howard Overman | directed by Justin Molotnikov

Some readers are probably expecting me to review Atlantis every week, as it's replacing Merlin in the schedule and shares a lot of its DNA, but I can't see it being worth the bother. It was once a novelty the BBC were producing fantasy shows of this calibre for all the whole family to enjoy, which even found an audience overseas, but that period has since passed.

Premiere: BBC1's ATLANTIS

What's it about? Fantasy-adventure series Atlantis concerns a modern-day man called Jason; who finds himself whisked back through time to the city of Atlantis before its famous watery demise.

Autumn/Winter 2013: What to Watch

The start of the 2013/14 TV season is almost upon us, with UK and US channels ready to launch a slew of new shows together with their returning favourites. It promises to be a busy few months for telly addicts, but what will I be watching from now until Christmas? In chronological order, let's take a look...

Trailer: BBC1's ATLANTIS

The BBC have released the first trailer for their new tea-time Saturday night telefantasy, essentially replacing Merlin in the schedule. Atlantis is the brainchild of Howard Overman (who wrote some of the best Merlin episodes, but is best-known for creating Misfits), and it appears to be largely what you'd expect. Atlantis mixes Greek history and mythology into its recipe, so the hero's Jason (Jack Donnelly) and his sidekicks are Pythagoras (Robert Emms) and Hercules (Mark Addy). Co-stars include Sarah Parish (Pillars of the Earth), Jemima Rooper (Lost in Austen), Juliet Stevenson (The Village), Aiysha Hart and Oliver Walker.

TV Pilots I Want to See - 2013-14

It's become a blog tradition (sort of) that I compile a list of the most promising or interesting TV pilots that are being made for 2013-14. This tends to favour US shows (where the whole idea of a 'pilot episode' is purer and drives the industry), but it does include one UK show. Some of these pilots will never see the light of day (although a few may leak online), while others will become full-blown TV shows over the next year.

BBC replace MERLIN with ATLANTIS

Unsurprisingly, the BBC have announced their intention to replace Merlin with another family-friendly fantasy series: Atlantis.

They've even hired one of that show's better writers, Howard Overman (who later created Misfits, Vexed and adapted Dirk Gently), to take charge of this new thirteen-part series. Atlantis takes place in the titular mythical city, described as being a "strange, compelling realm" where "snake-haired goddesses" roam, containing "palaces so vast it was said they were built by giants".

The hero will be a character called Jason (of Argonauts fame) and the show will essentially rework many of the enduring Greek myths and legends. Atlantis will begin filming in Morrocco and Wales this April, scheduled to fill Merlin's timeslot this autumn. But will it manage to dent ITV's X Factor ratings in a similar fashion?

It's far too early to say much about this show, but I'm glad Howard Overman's in charge of things. He was a stand-out writer on Merlin from way back, and it's been great to see his career blossom in unusual ways: from the great (Misfits), to the problematic (Dirk Gently) and the ugly (Vexed). Atlantis will most likely follow the example set by Merlin in execution and style, because it's executive-produced by that show's creators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy, but with Overman's stronger influence I suspect the quality of writing will be much sharper. Anyone else excited? Or should we perhaps brace ourselves for a Sinbad-style misfire?